Day 10 - Sanctuary of Divine Mercy and the Train System

Surprise, surprise. I overslept a bit this morning and I didn't make it in time to get on the tour of Auschwitz. I woke up and quickly got ready and headed out the door to the train station. It was not a nice sunny day like yesterday, it was a freezing miserable day and it was driziling. Nic had printed me a map the night before, which really came in handy. I navigated my way through the streets, but at a rather slow pace. My knee was even worse this morning and I was practically in tears as I walked the 1 or 2 miles to the train station. I don't want to complain too much, but OW. Once I arrived at the square a man approached me offering me a personal tour of Auschwitz, "We jump in my car and I drive you there." I thought, NO WAY and swiftly walked on. He came around later and said, "we take bus, train, whatever!" I quickly rushed away again. I can't imagine how that experience would have turned out!

I walked to the Information center in the train station and asked the many questions I had on my list. Turns out all Auschwitz tours leave at 9:00 am, so I purchased a ticket for tomorrow, thinking, I hope I make it. He showed me where they meet on the map, and again, I hope I find it! Then he told me how to get to the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy and how to buy my train ticket to my next destination on Monday. He also helped me figure out how the train works and told me which train to take to the Sanctuary.

I made my way across the square, purchased by train ticket, a 24 hour ticket and waited for train #19. It arrived shortly later and I jumped on, I saw my stop on the map and realized I had about 13 stops before I would arrive. I made sure to pay close attention to where I was and where I needed to get off. I noticed that we stopped at a station very close to my apartment and made a mental note that I could easily use this train instead of walking in the future. My knee gave a little sigh of relief. I made it to my stop and walked a little ways to the Sanctuary, it is a mini campus and I navigated my way to the church. It is a very modern church and it really is very neat in its simplicity. I walked in and sat down and just after that a mass started, so I figured I haven't been to mass in a while, why not. I sat through a Polish mass and only understood two things. Amen and Hallelujah. The stone church was freezing and I shivered the entire way through mass. I seem to complain a lot about the cold, but it was cold! After mass I took some pictures of the church, made my way to two other chapels and had a look around. There was no information anywhere in sight and the rain started to come down, so I didn't want to stick around and search the campus. Mom asked me to go here, but sadly I didn't know too much about it. Once I had arrived all the literature was in Polish, so I had no idea what I was looking at or what I was looking for. I finally gave up and decided to head back to the train for warmth.

Once on the train, I got off at a stop next to a VERY large Tesco (grocery store). It was a 24 hour Tesco, and ended up being much more like a Walmart. It also had tiny shops inside, much like a mall. I wanted to see if they had any bandages, or perhaps a sleeve for my knee to help me walk. No luck...nothing. I couldn't even find bandaids, or any care stuff. So I picked up some bread, oranges and peanuts for my lunch...yum, yum. I got back on the train and headed back to the square in which I started. I walked into the VERY large mall there because I figured it would be warm and I could figure out my next move. It was getting dark at this point. I ate my lunch inside the warm mall and made my way around stopping in every shoe store and every athletic/hiking store looking for a new pair of boots and a sleeve for my knee. I found lots of cute boots, but nothing I was willing to pay lots of money for, however I am regretting it a little as I type this, and I found nothing to help my knee. I did see some nice European shops and I enjoyed people watching there. It is like any large American mall, three stories and full of people...so many people. I left and made my way to the train, I took it back to the stop by my apartment and made my way home. I went inside for some rest and warmth. Then I asked Nic for directions to a near Internet Cafe and here I am. I limped the whole way here. :)

I am starting to get very hungry, so I hope I can find a good place to eat. I really need some warm delicious food to end my day on a good note, although it is getting pretty late here. Nic said the restaurant below me speaks English, but I'm still a bit weary. I will say it wasn't a hugely eventful day, but I certainly spent most my time experiencing the Polish culture and the city. Tomorrow, I will go to Auschwitz, relying on my alarm clock of course and I am sure it will be an interesting site. I will be putting many layers of clothes on, because I gather it will be very cold there. Nic and Dorota have agreed to do dinner plans tomorrow night as well. So wish me luck in my search for food, and hopefully more laundry tonight! Miss you all and I would love to hear from you! Anna0210@aol.com.

Narazie, Anna